"I could have stayed at Horizon Air and been stuck living what to me was a nightmare"

See Sky, there is your problem, planting your personal view of the biz onto all our laps. You bash the industry unceasingly and yet don't understand that being a Capt at one of the best regionals in the country isn't considered by all as unworthy. Maybe unworthy to you. If you get into this biz and won't be happy making maxed out pay at a top regional, then maybe you SHOULD think twice. Don't come on here years later saying the career sucks and woe is me.

"At the time I went to National Airlines it was the envy of the industry."

Now that's laughable. National was a bottom feeder start up out of LAS trying to compete directly with what was a major hub for America West and Southwest. Their pay was close to Horizon numbers for flying a 757. Saying National was the envy of the industry? By what standard? They were six months from start up to chapter 11. Skybus did better. Were they the envy of the industry, too?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Airlines_(N7)